Director of Business Operations

Constellation Institute • Berkeley, CA

7d • $200,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Business Operations will own Constellation’s core finance, legal, and compliance functions while partnering closely with the President and senior leadership. The role combines operational ownership with strategic decision support as the organization continues to scale.
Scope includes:
Strategic finance
Legal and non-profit compliance
Audit oversight and reputational risk management
Real estate and facilities economics
Oversight of a small internal team and key external partner
Financial and operational modeling to support complex, non-standard decisions

Requirements

• Experience across finance, business operations, or adjacent leadership roles, with evidence of end-to-end ownership and system building in environments with ambiguity
• Strong analytical foundation, with the ability to use financial and operational data to support decision-making
• Exposure to nonprofit, philanthropic, or otherwise regulated environments, or clear ability to adapt to them quickly
• Experience managing external partners such as accountants, legal counsel, auditors, or other service providers
• Comfort owning multiple operational areas without a large, established team
• Builder mindset with a bias toward ownership, follow-through, and continuous improvement
• Practical, balanced approach to risk that supports execution while maintaining trust and credibility
• Collaborative, low-ego partner who earns confidence across technical, research, and operational teams
• Motivation to work on long-horizon, high-impact challenges alongside a community of deeply committed peers

Nice To Haves

• Broad operator background (e.g., business operations, Chief of Staff, or other leadership roles in organizations of comparable or larger size and complexity)
• Experience building or maturing foundational systems in startups, scale-ups, or mission-driven organizations
• Familiarity with real estate, facilities, or other asset-intensive operations
• Interest in growing into broader operational leadership as the organization continues to scale

Responsibilities

• Strategic finance
• Legal and non-profit compliance
• Audit oversight and reputational risk management
• Real estate and facilities economics
• Oversight of a small internal team and key external partner
• Financial and operational modeling to support complex, non-standard decisions

Benefits

• Constellation offers competitive cash compensation, with a base salary of $200,000+ depending on experience.
• This is a full-time role based onsite in Downtown Berkeley, CA.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees